1. Field
One embodiment of the present invention relates to an information processing apparatus such as personal computers and a display control method capable of connecting display devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, in the field of personal computers and the like, various power-saving control techniques have been developed so as to reduce their power consumption.
Display Power Management Signaling (DPMS) standardized by Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) is one of such power-saving control techniques. In DPMS, which is a standard for saving power of display monitors of personal computers, the length of elapsed time after a last key input has been made, for example, is detected through software, and the display monitor is shifted to a power-saving mode (i.e., power is saved) in stepwise.
Recently, configurations of using a plurality of display devices connected to a computer have been increasing in number. Japanese Patent KOKAI Publication No. 2000-163035 discloses a technique in which a computer, to which a plurality of display devices are connected, detects whether an active window exists and whether a cursor is moving in each of the display devices, and shifts display devices in which such detections have not been made to a power-saving mode.
According to the technique of Japanese Patent KOKAI Publication No. 2000-163035, however, there are cases where a display device is not shifted to a power-saving mode, although the user is not actually using the display device. For example, even if a window is in an active mode, there are cases where no actual operations are being made. Therefore, in order to precisely distinguish which display is used by the user from among a plurality of display devices connected to a computer, and shift the other display devices to the power-saving mode, a new function is required.